Cleaning product

ABSTRACT

A cleaning product ( 1 ) is provided that includes a cleaning agent ( 3 ) that can be dissolved in water ( 5 ) or can be mixed with water in free-flowing or pourable or extrudable form. The cleaning agent ( 3 ) is packed in a stick package ( 2 ) for easy and convenient use.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/310,446, filed Mar. 4, 2010, and also claims the benefit of German Utility Model Application No. 20 2010 006 830, filed May 15, 2010, both of which are incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a cleaning product, with a cleaning agent that can be dissolved in water or can be mixed with water in a free-flowing, pourable or extrudable form.

In order to free surfaces or objects of any type, for example the windshield of a motor vehicle, from pollution or even to some extent from sticky contaminants, it is regularly necessary to add a cleaning agent to the wiper or cleaning water used for this purpose or to apply a special cleaning agent undiluted.

From the prior art, in this context it is known, for example, to fill the cleaning agent in relatively large volume packages (e.g., 1 L bottles or 5 L canisters). These are relatively heavy, unwieldy, and also to be avoided for ecological aspects.

Furthermore, it is known that cleaning agents are to be formed as liquid concentrate that can be diluted with water, wherein, however, the concentrate packages still turn out to be questionable ecologically. If the concentrate is filled into bag-like packages, the handling of the package when the concentrate is filled into the related containers also similarly turns out to be relatively difficult.

Finally, it is also known to press cleaning agent into tablet form and to pack it into rectangular sealed bags. Apart from the fact that such packaging similarly exhibits a relatively poor ecological balance, the disadvantage is produced that the user is regularly forced to touch the cleaning tablets by hand—especially to remove them from the sealed bag and to place them at the location of their use, e.g., in the compartment provided for this purpose in an automatic dishwasher or the like, or to break them up so that they can be inserted through the filler piece of a windshield wiper system. In addition, certain components of cleaning agents (surfactants) can be pressed only with difficulty or even not permanently into tablet form, which limits the usability of the approach named above.

Another known problem is the correct proportioning or dosing of the cleaning agent, wherein many users have the tendency to use excessively large quantities of cleaning agent, which can have a harmful effect on the environment. However, too low a dosing of the cleaning agent is also undesired, because then, under some circumstances, the intended cleaning effect is not achieved or only inadequately.

Finally, the known packages or containers of cleaning agents are often not suitable for mobile use of the cleaning agents, for example, on vacation, during a trip, while driving in a motor vehicle or the like.

SUMMARY

The invention is based on the objective of improving a cleaning product of the type noted farther above in terms of manageability, friendliness of use, mobile usability, potential cleaning effect, the dosing accuracy, as well as with respect to its eco-balance.

The objective is met by a cleaning product with the features of the invention. Advantageous refinements of the invention are disclosed in detail below and in the claims whose wording is herewith incorporated into the description through explicit reference, in order to avoid unnecessary text repetition.

According to the invention, a cleaning product with a cleaning agent that can dissolve in water or can be mixed with water in a free-flowing, pourable, or extrudable form is characterized in that the cleaning agent is packed in a stick package and that the cleaning agent is selected from a group that contains:

Dishwasher detergent for dishwashers; spot-removing agents, especially for cushions, carpets, and clothing, advantageously bleaching agents, most advantageously oxidative or reductive bleaching agents; whiteners; grout cleaners; floor cleaners, especially for wood, stone, tile or synthetic floors; cleaning agents for automobile interiors, especially dashboards; disinfecting agents; mold removers; decalcifiers, especially for coffee makers or water boilers; range and oven cleaners; bathroom cleaners; scouring powders; pipe and drain cleaners; travel washing agents, especially for hand washing; windshield cleaning agent for the windshield wiper system of a motor vehicle.

Consequently, according to one basic concept of the present invention, the objective noted farther above for a cleaning product of the type named in the introduction is solved such that the actual cleaning agent that is constructed as one of the previously named cleaning agents is packaged in a stick package, wherein elongated, rod-shaped stick packages are known to someone skilled in the art, for example, for packages of sugar or other free-flowing goods. Stick packages have a good eco-balance at least relative to the packaging forms named farther above and can be stored easily, for example, also in spatially limited passenger interiors of motor vehicles, in luggage, or even in purses or pants pockets. Stick packages are easy to handle according to experience and allow the user the problem-free and loss-less filling of the cleaning agent, for example into the narrow filler piece of the windshield washer system reservoir of a motor vehicle, with predetermined exact dosing corresponding to the stick fill volume, without the cleaning agent itself having to be touched by fingers.

Due to the fact that the cleaning agent can exist in the scope of the present invention as free-flowing or pourable cleaning agent, in the scope of one preferred refinement of the present invention it can be easily provided that the cleaning agent contains at least one component that is difficult to compress and/or cannot be compressed permanently, advantageously a surfactant that cannot be pressed permanently into shape and involves most advantageously Hostapur® OSB or a surfactant with a comparable action.

Advantageously, the cleaning agent is provided in the stick package in powder, granulate, or pellet form and thus can be easily filled or poured into the filler piece of a correspondingly provided filling opening, for example, of a windshield wiper system or a dishwasher. However, the present invention is not limited to such a construction of the cleaning agent, so that alternatively a construction of the cleaning agent as a liquid or gel could also be provided.

The cleaning agent could contain other additives, for example, bittering agents for preventing swallowing by children, dyes, fragrances, anti-freeze additives or the like.

The stick package has, in the course of another refinement of the cleaning product according to the invention, a first dimension, d, which is less than a typical opening diameter, D, of the filling opening of a cleaning device to be filled with the cleaning agent, for example, the filler piece of a windshield wiper system, that is: d<D. The named dimension of the stick package involves advantageously its opening diameter produced when the stick package is opened, especially by means of a tearing aid, wherein the latter is advantageously constructed in the form of a peripheral tearing aid that is arranged perpendicular to a longitudinal extent of the stick package. Advantageously, the opening diameter, d, of the stick package lies between 0 and 3 cm, most advantageously between 1 and 2 cm, which is less than the typical opening diameter of the noted filling openings, such as the windshield wiper system fill piece.

In order to protect their contents, in the course of another refinement of the invention, the stick package advantageously has an essentially moisture-proof construction.

The outer surface of the stick package is advantageously printable or printed with conventional printing techniques, such as ink-jet printing, offset printing, digital printing, or the like. In this way, user instructions, in particular, can be applied to the outer surface of the stick package. In addition, the stick package could also be used as an advertisement carrier.

Advantageously, the cleaning product comprises a quantity of cleaning agent that is sufficient for 1 to 10 L of water. In the course of further constructions of the invention, the included quantity of cleaning agent could be sufficient for 2 to 5 L of water, advantageously for 3.5 L of water. Alternatively, the included quantity of cleaning agent could be adapted to the operation of a cleaning device, such as an automatic dishwasher, or to the size of a certain container, e.g., 1 L bottles. However, the invention is in no way limited to such quantity information. The application of cleaning agent in undiluted form is obviously also possible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Additional properties and advantages of the invention are given from the following description of embodiments with reference to the drawing.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic overall view of the cleaning product according to the invention and especially its stick package;

FIG. 2 shows the opened stick package of the cleaning product according to FIG. 1 and its use according to regulations; and

FIG. 3 shows a view of the stick package along the line III-III in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In all of the figures, identical reference symbols designate elements that are identical or have identical actions.

FIG. 1 shows, with reference to a schematic overall view, a preferred construction of the cleaning product according to the invention that is designated as a whole with the reference symbol 1. The cleaning product 1 comprises a known stick package 2 that is made from a liquid-tight material, such as plastic and/or aluminum, and is filled with a cleaning agent 3, as shown schematically in FIG. 1. The cleaning agent 3 involves a cleaning agent that can be dissolved in water or can be mixed with water and is in free-flowing, fluid, or pourable form. The stick package 2 has, over the greatest part of its longitudinal extent, an essentially circular-cylindrical form that is flattened and widened at the ends and is closed or sealed at reference symbols 2 a or 2 b. Furthermore, the stick package has a not-shown longitudinal sealing seam. The latter could also be constructed as a hidden seam (asymmetric longitudinal seam), wherein the available surface area for advertisement printing is increased. In addition, in this way aesthetically unappealing printing marks or the like can be visually hidden.

At reference symbol 2 c, the stick package 2 has a tearing aid perpendicular to its longitudinal extent, with this tearing aid being constructed advantageously as a peripheral tearing aid, in order to be able to easily open the stick package 2 across its entire cross section, which is known to someone skilled in the art.

The cleaning agent 3 possibly contains at least one component that is difficult to compress or that cannot be compressed at all permanently. The named component could involve, for example, a surfactant that cannot be compressed permanently in shape, advantageously Hostapur® OSB or the like. Hostapur® OSB is a strongly foaming, anionic surfactant, with a strong cleaning effect, even for strongly adhering contaminants, and is particularly effective for cleaning window panes, most advantageously for the cleaning of the windshield of a motor vehicle, in order to remove, as best as possible, residues of insects adhered to these parts. In principle, however, a different surfactant or a different component is also suitable that should be, as much as possible, non-toxic and/or biologically decomposable and adapted as best as possible to the actual use of the cleaning agent being applied.

The cleaning agent 3 exists advantageously in powder, granulate, or pellet form or a mixture of these forms, which, however, is not to be explicitly inferred from the schematic diagram in FIG. 1. In addition, the cleaning agent 3 possibly contains at least one bubble-forming agent that releases carbon dioxide (CO2) in water, in order to support the solubility of the cleaning agent. The bubble-forming agent could involve, for example, a carbonic acid salt and an acid. As the carbonic acid salt, in this context, in particular, sodium carbonate, sodium hydrogen carbonate, or potassium carbonate come into consideration; as the acid, for example, citric acid, tartaric acid, or malic acid is suitable.

Alternatively, however, it could be provided that the cleaning agent 3 exists in the form of a liquid or a gel, so that a simple miscibility with water is given.

One special aspect of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. As can be easily inferred from the named figures, the stick package 2 has, in the area of its opening 2 d produced after tearing the stick package 2 by means of the tearing aid 2 c shown in FIG. 1, a first dimension d that is also designated below as “opening diameter.” Due to the construction of the stick package 2 that is relatively narrow in comparison with its length, the opening diameter d is regularly less than a typical opening diameter D of the filler piece or the filling opening 4 of a cleaning device or a filling container for the cleaning agent 3 dissolved in water or mixed with water, such as a windshield washer system reservoir, wherein the device or container is otherwise not shown in more detail in the figures due to reasons of clarity. Advantageously, the opening diameter d of the stick package 2 equals between 0 and 3 cm, most advantageously between 1 cm and 2 cm, while the opening diameter D of the filler piece 4 typically lies in the range of 3 to 5 cm.

This leads to a possible use of the cleaning product 1 according to the invention in context with an automatic dishwasher or another device, as shown with an example in FIG. 2:

The stick package 2 of the cleaning product 1 according to the invention is opened by means of the tearing aid 2 c (FIG. 1) and then the cleaning agent 3 is filled through the relatively small opening 2 d of the stick package without a problem into the filling opening 4 of for example a windshield washer system reservoir or a dishwasher, as symbolized in FIG. 2 by the arrow E. Due to the relative dimensioning of stick package 2 and filling opening 4 with d<D, the cleaning agent 3 can be filled in a problem-free and loss-less way and without contact by the filling person into the filling opening 4 and then mixed there with the incoming water 5 or dissolved therein.

The solvent (water) 5 is already present in the schematic diagram according to FIG. 2 at the time of the filling of the cleaning agent 3, without the present invention, however, being limited to this arrangement. As already mentioned, the water for dissolving the cleaning agent 3 could be fed at a later time, in order to provide, with the filling of the water, at the same time also for a dissolving or a homogeneous distribution of the cleaning agent 3, or the cleaning agent 3 is automatically introduced into the then incoming water 5 at a later time, as is the case today especially in automatic dishwashers.

As already mentioned farther above, however, the undiluted application of the cleaning agent 3 contained in the stick package 2 is part of the present invention, as is obviously clear to someone skilled in the art in the inspection of the cleaning agent 3 to be packed according to the invention in the stick package 2. For example, a spot means packed in the stick package 2 could be initially applied undiluted onto a spot and only later washed away again accordingly. Also in the case of a mold means, both the undiluted application on the affected location and also a prior dilution with water are possible, in order to single out only a few application cases as examples.

Advantageously, the stick package 2 contains the quantity of cleaning agent 3 needed for 1 to 10 L of water. Advantageously, the stick package 2 contains the quantity of cleaning agent 3 needed for 2 to 5 L of water, most advantageously the quantity of cleaning agent 3 needed for 3.5 L of water. Alternatively, the quantity of cleaning agent needed for one machine cycle could be included. If necessary, the contents of several packages 2 could be added to the wiper or cleaning water or to the machine. The (initially) undiluted application is also possible—as mentioned.

The outer surface 2 e of the stick package 2 is advantageously constructed such that it is printable or is printed by means of conventional printing methods, advantageously with user instructions and/or advertisement prints, which is not illustrated explicitly, however, in the present figures. 

1. Cleaning product (1) comprising a cleaning agent (3) that can be dissolved in water (5) or can be mixed with water in free-flowing or pourable or extrudable form, the cleaning agent (3) is packed in a stick package (2) and the cleaning agent is selected from a group consisting of: dishwasher detergent for dishwashers; spot-removing agents for fabrics, cushions, carpets, or clothing; bleaching agents, oxidative or reductive bleaching agents; whiteners; grout cleaners; floor cleaners; cleaning agents for automobile interiors and dashboards; disinfectants; mold removers; decalcifiers for coffee makers or water boilers; range and oven cleaners; bathroom cleaners; scouring powder; pipe and drain cleaners; travel washing agents; hand washing agents; and windshield cleaning agent for the windshield wiper system of a motor vehicle.
 2. Cleaning product (1) according to claim 1, wherein the stick package (2) is moisture-proof.
 3. Cleaning product (1) according to claim 1, wherein the stick package (2) has a tearing aid (2 c) that is oriented perpendicular to a longitudinal extent of the stick package.
 4. Cleaning product (1) according to claim 3, wherein the tearing aid is a peripheral tearing aid.
 5. Cleaning product (1) according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning agent (3) is a liquid or a gel.
 6. Cleaning product (1) according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning agent (3) is in a powder, granulate, or pellet form.
 7. Cleaning product (1) according to claim 1, wherein the stick package (2) contains a quantity of the cleaning agent required for a cleaning process or a quantity of cleaning agent (3) needed for 1 to 10 L of water (5).
 8. Cleaning product (1) according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning agent (3) contains at least one component that not easily compressed or not permanently compressible.
 9. Cleaning product (1) according to claim 8, wherein the cleaning agent comprises a surfactant that is not permanently compressible.
 10. Cleaning product (1) according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning agent (3) contains at least one bubble-forming agent releasing CO2 in water (5).
 11. Cleaning product (1) according to claim 10, wherein the bubble-forming agent is a carbonic acid salt and an acid.
 12. Cleaning product (1) according to claim 11, wherein the carbonic acid salt is sodium carbonate, sodium hydrogen carbonate, or potassium carbonate and the acid is citric acid, tartaric acid, or malic acid.
 13. Cleaning product (1) according to claim 1, wherein an outer surface (2 e) of the stick package (2) is printable or is printed with at least one of user instructions, safety instructions, or advertisement prints.
 14. Cleaning product (1) according to claim 1, wherein the stick package (2) has a first dimension, d, and an opening diameter that is less than an opening diameter, D, of a filler piece (4) of a motor vehicle windshield wiper system, with 0 cm<d<3 cm. 